


He Swoons, He Sighs (He Denies It)

by KasumiAFKGod, NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hercules (1997) Fusion, Avengers Family, BAMF Thor (Marvel), Banter, Bickering, Denial of Feelings, Disney References, Dramatic Thor, Enemies to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Humor, Kissing, Loki (Marvel) to the rescue, M/M, Matchmaker Thor (Marvel), Megamind (2010) References, Oblivious Tony Stark, Pining, Pining Loki (Marvel), The Avengers Are Good Bros, Thor (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, matchmaker avengers, theatrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24910468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasumiAFKGod/pseuds/KasumiAFKGod, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: The Avengers keep putting Tony in danger, thinking Loki will save him– because they believe Tony and Loki are in love with each other. But that, of course, is ridiculous.…Isn’t it?
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Comments: 46
Kudos: 372





	He Swoons, He Sighs (He Denies It)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ee86DRxtHU).  
>   
> Art by **KasumiAFKGod** , fic by **NamelesslyNightlock.**

Tony knew exactly what the Avengers were doing. He was far from oblivious– he _noticed_ when Steve ‘accidently’ pushed Tony out into open traffic, or when Hulk ‘mistook’ Tony for a Doombot and threw him into the side of the Chrysler Building. And that time he was ‘mugged’ in the street outside the SI headquarters in broad daylight? When the pair of assailants had just jumped him without even asking for money first? Well, they might have been wearing masks, but Tony knew the feel of Natasha’s roundhouse kick _intimately_ , and he wouldn’t have mistaken it for anything.

So yeah, he _knew_ they were trying to put him into dangerous situations. He just couldn’t for the life of him work out _why_.

For a while, he thought they might be taunting him, reminding him that he was the least trained and least enhanced out of the group– but he quickly dismissed that, because he knew they all appreciated his contributions to the team.

Then he wondered if they were using it as some kind of training exercise. Then perhaps a dare. But whatever it was, it was a game he was willing to play along with– at least until they made the mistake of burning down his favourite sandwich joint _with him inside it_. And yeah, the place would be rebuilt – it was _coincidentally_ due for renovations, and good old Delmar actually seemed almost happy with what had happened, so long as the superhero-damage insurance investigators were looking the other way– but that wasn’t the _point_. The Avengers couldn’t just go around destroying things, and they _certainly_ couldn’t just force Tony to go to an inferior sandwich joint while Delmar’s was repaired without some kind of consequence.

Enough was enough.

Tony had JARVIS call a team meeting in the living room, and then he glared at the five _traitors_ with enough force to make even the hardest of supervillains melt. But they just blinked up at him from their various positions on the couch, pictures of innocence, the whole lot of them. Well, all except Hulk. He seemed more interested in trying to steal the Pop-Tart Thor was dangling absentmindedly from his fingertips.

“Okay,” Tony said, seeing that he was going to have to be the one to speak first. “This is your chance to admit it. Speak up now, and I won’t get angry.”

Steve tilted his head, his eyes wide. “Admit what—?”

He was cut off with an _oof_ as Natasha elbowed him in the ribs, her brows raised with the kind of look that meant she’d noticed an opportunity. Tony was, of course, immediately wary.

“Tony,” Natasha said sweetly. “I don’t think _we’re_ the ones who need to admit anything. Are you sure there isn’t something that you want to… get off your _chest?”_

Even Hulk looked around at that, and they all seemed so ridiculously _excited_ about whatever Natasha was talking about that it shoved Tony right past wary and all the way to the edge of suspicious.

“Yes,” Tony replied, narrowing his eyes. “I do. We need to talk about this habit you all have of putting me in danger, because one of these days it’s not going to end well—”

“I doubt it,” Thor replied, sounding far too amused by the whole thing. Who gave him the right to laugh at Tony’s pain? This was _serious._

“You burned down a sandwich shop,” Tony snapped. “It was _owned_ by someone. Or what, do the Avengers destroy private property now?”

“The deli will be fine,” Steve said dismissively. “There’s something far more important to talk about here—”

“No,” Tony cut in. “There really isn’t—”

“Tony,” Thor said, still way too happy for the situation. “Why do you think you kept surviving all of those dangerous situations?”

“Because I’m me?” Tony asked. “Because you weren’t trying to hurt me anyway—”

“Do you really think you managed to beat me in hand to hand combat?” Natasha asked, rolling her eyes. “Please. As if I would _let_ you win—”

“You tripped!”

“And do you think I would just trip for no reason?” Natasha shot back.

“Well—”

“And what about when you almost got hit by four cabs in a row?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, _almost—”_

“Or when Hulk threw you through those windows,” Clint said loudly. “You hit the ground after falling over a thousand feet, and you didn’t even have a scratch—”

“Of course not,” Tony snapped. “My suits are the best.”

“Come on, Tony,” Natasha said impatiently. “ _Think_ about it. What… _who_ comes to mind when you think about how you could have survived all of that?”

Tony grit his teeth, because one name _did_ pop into his mind– but Tony knew the thought was a ridiculous one. Yeah, maybe on some of those occasions he thought he’d seen the barest shimmer of green out of the corner of his eye, but that had just been a trick of the light and an overactive imagination.

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. “Nope. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Clint rolled his eyes. “C’mon Tony—”

` “I’m not gonna say it.” `

“And you’re not gonna make me,” Tony added sharply as he saw Clint’s eyes brighten. But it wasn’t Clint who responded.

` **Steve** — “Tony why deny it?”  
**Thor** — “We all know who you’re thinking of.” `

` “I’m _not_ thinking of anyone!” `

Natasha snorted. _“Please_ , _”_ she said again. “We’ve all seen the look on your face whenever JARVIS tells us a certain villain is attacking the city.”

There were only so many times that Tony could say no before it seemed like he really _was_ denying something, but he said it again anyway.

` “You’re way off base, I won’t say it.” `

But the problem was… they weren’t really, were they?

Well, at least in one way– because Loki was a _supervillain_. Sure, he was gorgeous, and his witty remarks in the middle of a battle had the tendency to make Tony smile like nothing else ever could– but that meant _nothing_. It had to, because if Tony even _thought_ about it then it would only end in tears.

Fuck. _Get a grip, Tony_. _You’re not—_

` **Clint** — “Who’d you think you’re kidding?”  
**Natasha** — “We can see right through you.” `

“There’s no _kidding_ ,” Tony snapped. “Because there’s nothing _there_. And for– why are you all trying to make me– what, go out with him? We fight him practically every Tuesday—”

“Yes, we know,” Thor said excitedly. “But you really would make such a good couple.”

“You’d look cute,” Natasha agreed. “Your colour schemes would go well together—”

“ _Why are you doing this?”_ Tony wailed.

` **Hulk** — “Help make Tony happy!”  
**Steve** — “Don’t be proud, it’s okay to say you’re in love.” `

Steve’s voice was at least a little gentler than the others, but it still put Tony on edge and—

“ _What?”_ he yelped. “I am _not—”_

“He’s fooling himself, obviously,” Natasha said, rolling her eyes.

“And just think,” Steve added, “Maybe if the two of you started dating, Loki would have better things to do on a Tuesday—”

“Steve,” Nat hissed, elbowing him again. “That is _not_ the angle we’re going for.”

“I’m just saying that it should be a contributing factor,” Steve insisted. “Maybe it would help—”

Tony’s voice was at a ridiculous pitch as he protested. “It’s not contributing to anything because it’s not _happen—”_

“Oh hell yes,” Clint exclaimed. “Make Loki do Tony on Tuesdays instead of fighting us—”

“ _Excuse me?”_

They _had_ to be kidding, right? This had to be some kind of elaborate joke—

Except…

_No._

` “Look, I’d win any prize for rotten judgement– but even I know better than _that!”_ `

“Because Loki’s a villain,” he continued to hiss at them. “Even if I _did_ feel something, there is no way that he would ever even look in my direction, right? Maybe you’re trying to convince the wrong person.”

“Loki doesn’t need any convincing,” Thor said easily. “He’s been flirting with you for months.”

“He’s _what?”_ Tony asked, taken off guard– but only for a _moment._ Then he tightened his jaw and pinned Thor with another glare. Because he knew the truth. “No,” he said harshly. “ _No,_ he doesn’t flirt, he keeps trying to _stab_ me.”

“Exactly,” Thor agreed. “That’s how he shows affection.”

Tony gaped for a second before turning on his heel. “Get off my case,” he snapped. “This conversation is over, I’ve got better things to do—”

“Like a certain supervillain, maybe?” Clint asked. “I mean, you have to admit, the UST has been _far_ worse to deal with than you dating a villain could ever be, even if it is—”

Both Clint’s sentence and Tony’s complaint were cut off as Thor rose from his chair with a swiftness he didn’t often display, his expression stormier than Tony ever saw it – outside the time that Hulk had managed to crush the toaster in a moment of Eggo induced excitement.

Speaking of Hulk, he lunged sideways to catch Thor’s discarded Pop-Tart box and kicked Clint over in the process – which, serve him right – but Tony hardly even noticed, as Thor wrapped one arm around Tony’s shoulders and the other around his throat. He didn’t squeeze tight enough to cut off Tony’s air supply, but it sure as fuck was tight enough to be uncomfortable.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked anxiously, struggling against Thor’s mighty biceps with about as much effectiveness as a Roomba caught against a chair-leg.

“What is necessary,” Thor replied darkly– and as thunder began to rumble outside, Tony instinctively gulped.

—\\\—

You know, given the seriousness of the situation, there were probably a lot of things that Tony could have been thinking. He could have been planning an escape, or thinking of how to fight back. He could have been wondering why the _hell_ JARVIS hadn’t sent him out a suit already, or worrying over how the rest of the Avengers had just sat back and watched with smirks painted over their lips while Thor had first pinned Tony down with Mjölnir while he went for a wardrobe upgrade, and _then_ had dragged him all the way up to the roof.

For that matter, Tony could have been thinking about the fact that Avengers Tower was over one thousand feet high, a fall that Tony knew only all too well and _would not survive_ without his suit– and that the only thing currently stopping him from plummeting to his death was Thor’s fingers around his ankle.

But, of course, the only thing that was _actually_ going through Tony’s mind in that moment was that they _really_ shouldn’t have let Thor watch ‘Megamind.’

It would seem that Thor really had taken the advice about the difference between a villain and a _super_ villain to heart– because he really had gone all out on presentation. His hair was in braids more intricate than normal, running tight against his skull so that the blonde mop looked less like the flowing locks of a Disney princess and closer to the slicked-back look Loki had worn during the battle with the Chitauri. He had switched out his usual red cape for an inky black one which whipped around him in the rising winds of the storm, and the left side of his face was streaked with two vertical lines of some kind of black paint or makeup. But perhaps the most frightening was the way that his eyes were crackling with lightning, casting his face into shadows that seemed to make his smirk into something far more menacing than it had any right to be.

“Thor,” Tony said, choosing his words with caution. “Let’s just… not do anything rash here, all right? I don’t fancy turning into a smear on the sidewalk today.”

“I am not going to drop you,” Thor promised. “I would not be so… unrestrained.”

“Oh, good,” Tony replied, his breath leaving him in a rush and ruffling over the t-shit which had bunched up under his chin and was currently trying to blind him. Thanks, gravity. “I had full faith in you, Pikachu, I didn’t believe for a second that you were going to—”

“I am going to attach Mjölnir to your feet,” Thor continued brightly, acting as if he hadn’t heard Tony say a thing. “That will mean you shall fall quickly, _and_ that no magic will be able to stop your descent as she drags you to your death.”

“Oh.” Tony swallowed. “Thor, I think that’s still going to include ‘dropping’. Maybe you should reconsider—”

“Never,” Thor said. “A good villain doesn’t change his plan from his monologue, or what would be the point?”

“I mean, I would still be alive,” Tony said quickly. “That’s a point. A good one, even.”

When Tony shoved his shirt away from his face to look up at Thor, it seemed like Thor might actually be considering it, and Tony held his breath.

But, then—

“No,” Thor said, shaking his head. “I think I like it better this way.”

Tony felt something wrapping around his foot, and… well, he wouldn’t say that he was panicking, because Tony Stark doesn’t _panic_. But, uh, maybe he was pretty darn close.

He could see a crowd of people down below by now, all looking up and pointing. Thor was attracting more than a little attention with his storm, due to the lightning streaking across the sky, the crash of thunder and– you know, the small fact that he was holding Tony over the edge of the building by his ankles.

Once what he assumed was Mjölnir was well and truly in place, Tony felt Thor hold him out just a little further, and Tony’s arms went pinwheeling at the suddenly increased sensation of horror. He might have been saying Thor’s name, he might have been promising a life-time supply of Pop-Tarts in exchange for his life– but he was so out of it that he wasn’t entirely sure.

And when he heard a terribly familiar voice—

Well, Tony’s shirt was over his eyes and he couldn’t see what the hell was happening, and he was fairly sure he might have imagined it, that it was just a result of the Avengers’ ridiculous accusations.

“Thor! What are you _doing?”_

“I’m learning to be a villain,” Thor replied. “I thought maybe, if we were on the same side, we could be brothers again!”

There was half a second where Tony actually felt a little bit of _hope_. Thor had steadied again, so Tony was able to push his shirt back down – up – out of his face, _whatever_ – and he saw that, _yes_ , it was definitely Loki. But rather than the familiar reaction to the realisation that yet another insane Asgardian had shown up, Tony instead almost felt _relieved_.

At least until he saw the look on Loki’s face– that slightly slackened jaw, the minute widening of his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite believe what Thor had said. But then, when his gaze flickered to Tony that expression hardened, and he took a short step closer.

“It doesn’t work that way, Thor,” Loki said. “Now, release Stark.”

Thor frowned, some of his excitement appearing to evaporate. “No,” he said. “You’re not meant to say that, you’re meant to be a villain with me. You can’t be the hero, because then we’ll still be on opposite sides.”

Loki’s face pinched at that, and he looked incredibly conflicted. Tony was sure that Loki would go, then, that he would leave Thor to his newfound villainy in peace. Because while it was clear that he wasn’t all that keen on throwing Tony off the side of the building, it was also obvious he’d rather keep his reputation intact than try to save him.

Then Thor exclaimed– “Come, Loki! Let us be villains together!” And Tony felt himself _swing—_

He thought he heard someone yell, and while it might have been himself he didn’t think that it _was—_

And then suddenly, the pressure on his ankles was released– but rather than being dragged down, Tony felt arms close tight around his waist as he was positively _wrenched_ away from the edge.

For a moment, Tony just _clung_ , his breathing heavy and his eyes squeezed closed, holding tight onto the only anchor he had. He could feel someone holding him back, and he focused on that– on the closeness, on the fact that they were holding him steady and keeping him safe—

But—

Wait a minute.

As he caught his breath and came back to himself, Tony slowly lifted his gaze to meet bright green eyes only an inch from his own.

The sound that Tony made was kind of just like a _‘nnnuuuhh’,_ though he didn’t know exactly how it sounded to any of the others. But inside his head, it was kind of more of an…

_Oh._

The sky was sunny and bright now – because of course it was, thanks for nothing, Thor – and Tony could see very clearly _how_ Loki was looking at him. There was relief in his gaze, as well as a firm longing. His hands were pressing into Tony’s back and holding him close without feeling restraining, and he looked… well, he looked like letting go of Tony was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

Then Tony realised– Loki never had been hiding it, had he? Not like Tony had. He’d been flirting all this time, just like Thor had said, and he’d been saving Tony’s life from all of the Avengers’ ridiculous schemes without so much as a thanks. After all, he was a villain, doing the wrong thing was just part of his daily routine. He’d had no reason to shy away from wanting someone on the other side. No reason, perhaps, other than Tony’s rejection.

And as the moment stretched, as Loki clearly realised what Tony had _understood_ , Loki’s expression went blank for a moment. But as he sighed and took a small step back, his eyes remained full of an aching fondness.

“You’re safe, now,” Loki said softly, still not hiding, still wearing his heart on his sleeve.

And Tony still felt frozen, his mind still working it all out. Safe now, or safe _for_ now? Safe until the Avengers tried to kill him again, perhaps?

Although… maybe they wouldn’t. Because it was clear now that they had been doing it only because they _knew_ Loki would save him, and because they were hoping that Tony would experience this exact moment. Thor’s ridiculously sappy grin as he excused himself from the rooftop was more than enough evidence of that.

As Tony worked it all out, Loki smiled sadly and turned to go, clearly thinking that Tony’s silence meant something else entirely—

But Tony almost instinctively reached out to grab his sleeve.

He still didn’t really know what to say, he still felt like there were words stuck in his throat. But as Loki met his gaze again, his lips parting slightly in surprise– Tony didn’t think that words were needed.

Because, well, Loki _had_ just saved him, hadn’t he? From _Thor_ of all people, but still. And the smile he was wearing as his expression brightened with a little bit of hope looked kind of adorable, but then… Loki always looked kind of adorable, right? Even when he had been mad– even when he was destroying things. Tony never had been able to get enough of looking at him, and…

Oh, who was he kidding?

Deciding that trying to deny it any longer would not only be ridiculous but also something Tony had absolutely no interest in doing, Tony stepped closer into Loki’s space, and let go of his sleeve only so he could gently cup Loki’s face with his hand.

“Tony?” Loki whispered, the word barely a breath of air as his eyes near glowed with pure hope.

“Loki,” Tony replied, tilting his head and leaning in with the kind of slowness that didn’t mean he was hesitating, but rather savouring the moment. Their lips brushed lightly for a second before they both danced away again, as if expecting to awaken from a dream– but then Loki pressed forward again, and this time, their lips met in a proper kiss which made Tony glad that he had finally allowed himself to _feel_.

Of course, there was still no chance, no _way_ he’d admit that the Avengers were right—

Or, well.

At least, _out loud,_ he won’t say he’s in love.

**Author's Note:**

> And you can find the comic on tumblr [here!](https://kasumiscrawls.tumblr.com/post/621896164863787008/a-collaboration-with-quietlyapocalyptic-to-go)


End file.
